Zucchini season is upon us once again! This was delicious and low in calories. I used zucchini and basil from our garden and when I make it again, I’ll be able to use tomatoes from the garden too.
2 medium zucchini or summer squash, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
1/4 cup chopped basil plus 2 tablespoons for topping
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 dash balsamic vinegar
1 Preheat oven to 400. Spray 9 x 13″ pan with cooking spray.
2 Arrange squash and tomato in rows like shingles in the prepared dish.
3 Whisk together green onions, 1/4 cup basil, oil, salt, and pepper. Spoon mixture over veggies. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake until veggies are tender and cheese has melted, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining basil and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
They were pretty good but I think the baking time for the bars was a bit too long. I wanted the bars to be soft and chewy but they were a little dry. I’ve adjusted the baking time to a little less.
BARS
1 stick melted butter
1 box yellow cake mix
1 egg
1/2 cup creamy Biscoff Spread (you can find it at Trader Joe’s)
1 cup chocolate chips
ICING
6 oz sweetened condensed milk
1/4 creamy Biscoff Spread
1 For the bars, preheat oven to 350. Spray 9 x 13″ baking pan with cooking spray.
2 Mix together butter, cake mix, egg, and Biscoff in a large bowl then stir in chocolate chips. Press dough into prepared pan and bake 15 – 20 minutes or until baked through. Let cool 20 minutes.
3 For the icing, heat sweetened condensed milk and Biscoff over medium low heat until creamy and thick. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Pour over bars.
Cute cake right? But wait, there’s more! Here’s a look at the inside of the cake.
How did I do that, you ask? With my fancy new Secret Center Cake Pan from Pampered Chef that looks like this
This cake pan set makes some cute cakes! You can have little individual wells so each slice has hidden treats or you can do a hidden center.
For the cake above, I used a Funfetti cake mix baked in the pans, filled each well with mini M&Ms then did a pink candy melt ganache to drizzle over the top and down the sides and finished with a scattering of mini M&M’s on top.
Excited to try the hidden center and will post when I do.
If you follow my blog then you know that I am a fan of bundt cakes. I think it’s because they are a little denser than ordinary cakes also easier to make and ice than regular cakes. I don’t know how this one tasted because it was a birthday cake for my friend Allyson but it smelled terrific!
1 box vanilla or French vanilla cake mix
1 small box vanilla pudding mix
3 eggs
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Heat oven to 325. Spray Bundt cake pan with cooking spray for baking.
2 Combine all ingredients in your mixer bowl and beat on low for 2 minutes.
3 Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 45 – 50 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to cool completely.
I made a vanilla ganache to drizzle over the cake, recipe here, just sub vanilla chips for the chocolate chips. Then I sprinkled it with some white sprinkles.
These were very easy to make especially if you have a food processor. They’re good but not very sweet which I know some people would prefer. But if you like this combo, then these are for you.
BARS
1 cup butter, melted
2 cups graham cracker, animal crackers, or vanilla wafer crumbs
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
TOPPING
1/4 cup peanut butter
10 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips
1 For the bars, in a food processor or mixer, combine all bar ingredients and pulse until smooth. Spread into a 9 x 13″ pan.
2 For the topping, melt chocolate and peanut butter in microwave or on stove top and stir until smooth. Spread over top of peanut butter layer.
3 Chill for an hour or freeze for 15 minutes before cutting. Store in fridge.
I also made some Cinnamon Scones for Book Group the other week. They too were divine. And also time consuming but not difficult.
CINNAMON BUTTER
4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
SCONES
1/2 cup creme fraiche (you can find this at Trader Joe’s) or sour cream
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour plus more for dusting
1/4 sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold butter, cut into 1/2″ pieces
heavy cream for brushing
ICING
2 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
2 – 4 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 For the Cinnamon Butter, place all ingredients in medium bowl and mix until completely combined. Pat into a small square and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in fridge until firm.
2 For the Scones, line baking sheet with parchment. In a medium bowl, whisk together creme fraiche, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Set aside.
3 In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add butter and mix on low until flour coated pieces are the size of peas.
4 Remove cinnamon butter from fridge and cut into 1/2″ pieces. Add to bowl and mix just until pieces begin to break down and are about half the original size.
5 Remove bowl from mixer and mix wet ingredients into dry with spatula just until combined. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead 4 – 6 times until it comes together. Pat dough into a square then roll into a 12″ square. Fold dough into thirds like a business letter. Fold dough in thirds again by folding in short ends, making a square. Transfer to prepared sheet pan and put in freezer for 10 minutes.
6 Return dough to work surface and roll it into 12″ square and fold it in thirds. Turn dough over so it is seam side down. Roll it into a 12″ by 4″ rectangle. With a sharp knife, cut it crosswise into 4 rectangles then cut each rectangle into 2 triangles. Transfer scones back to baking sheet and freeze while oven is preheating.
7 Put oven rack in middle of oven and preheat to 375 then stack the sheet pan with the scones on another sheet pan. Brush tops only of triangles with heavy cream. Bake until tops and bottoms are light golden brown, about 18 – 25 minutes.
8 For the icing, whisk together cream cheese, milk, melted butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Add powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. Add more milk as needed. It should be thick but pourable.
9 Transfer scones to wire rack and ice right away.
I hosted Book Group this week and decided to make scones for the dessert. These were the first and they were delicious! Really, really good. They aren’t hard to make but they are a bit time consuming. Here’s a closer look
SCONES
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup real maple syrup
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour plus more for dusting
2/3 cup rolled oats plus more for sprinkling
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter, cut into 1/2″ pieces
heavy cream for brushing
MAPLE ICING
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
1 cup powdered sugar
1 For the scones, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2 In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla. Refrigerate until ready to use.
3 In the bowl of your food processor, combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, and salt and pulse a few times to combine. Add butter and pulse again until flour coated pieces are the size of peas, 8 – 10 pulses. Transfer dry ingredients to a large bowl. Add refrigerated wed ingredients to dry and fold with a spatula just until combined. The dough will be shaggy.
4 Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead 4 – 6 times until dough comes together. Pat dough gently into a square and then roll it into a 12″ square. Fold the dough into thirds, like a business letter. Fold the dough into thirds again by folding in the short ends, making a square. Transfer to prepared sheet pan and freeze for 10 minutes.
5 Return dough to work surface and shape it into an 8″ square, about 1″ thick. Use a 2 1/2″ biscuit cutter to cut out rounds then place on prepared sheet pan. Repeat with remaining dough for more scones. Freeze scones while oven preheats.
6 Put oven rack in middle of oven and preheat to 375.
7 Brush tops only of scones with heavy cream. Place another sheet pan under the pan holding the scones and bake, rotating halfway through, until tops are golden brown, about 18 – 25 minutes. Let scones cool slightly.
8 For the icing, while scones bake, in a small bowl, whisk together maple syrup, butter, vanilla, and salt. Add powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. Using the back of a spoon, top each scone with icing and a sprinkle of oats.
I promise you, it tastes just as good as it looks!
6 oz Nutella
1/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, cut into 1″ pieces, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9 x 13″ pan.
2 Put Nutella in a small heatproof bowl. Heat heavy cream in a saucepan until just about to boil. Pour cream over Nutella, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove wrap and whisk until smooth.
3 Whisk together sour cream, buttermilk, egg, and vanilla in a medium bowl.
4 In your mixer bowl, combine flour and sugar on low speed. Add butter one piece at a time, continuing to beat until mixture resembles coarse sand. Remove 1 cup of the mixture.
5 Add baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat on low to combine. Beat in sour cream mixture until incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer and use a spatula to stir a few more times. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth with an offset spatula.
6 Dollop Nutella mixture over the top of the batter and swirl with a knife. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture over the top. Tap on counter gently a couple of times to release any air bubbles.
7 Bake cake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool.
It was my neighbor’s birthday and I wanted to make him a cake so had the hubs ask him what his favorite cake was and he said German Chocolate Cake so I adapted a recipe and Ta Da, German Chocolate Bundt Cake!
Use this recipe here, replacing a German Chocolate Cake Mix for the Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix.
Also use the recipe for the Chocolate Ganache in that same post.
Then just top with coconut and pecans and you’ve got yourself a German Chocolate Bundt Cake!
Another delicious dinner, packed with veggies and pasta, YUM!
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 green onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups orzo pasta
salt and pepper
6 cups vegetable broth, warmed
1/2 pound brussel sprouts, cut in half
1/2 bunch broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
2 medium zucchini, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan plus more for garnish
grated zest of one lemon
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add green onions and garlic and stir and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in orzo and stir to coat with oil mixture. Reduce heat to medium. Ladle two cup of broth into pan, stir in gently, and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 2 – 3 minutes. Add 2 more cups of broth and repeat.
2 Add remaining broth and brussel sprouts, broccoli, and zucchini. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes, stirring often. When liquid is almost all absorbed, add Parmesan, lemon zest, and basil. Cook for another two minutes. Serve with more Parmesan.
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